Hugtto! Precure – Episode 48

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we stand on the precipice of eternity, as Hana fights to overcome George’s machinations and restore hope for the future. Having been aided in this battle by not just her Pretty Cure companions, but also the former employees of Criasu Corp, her struggle has embodied the promise of personal reinvention, that an unhappy past not define our future, and that people of all ages are capable of shedding their fetters and seeking what is truly most important. Pupple and her companions, Gelos and her beloved butlers, Traum, Risutol, Bishin – though all once believed their best days were fading memories, all were lead by Hana to see that there is still so much beauty in the world, and so much left to look forward to.

And now, there is only George. A man who appears to have taken all of humanity’s suffering on his back, and who sees the only way to maintain happiness as preserving it in amber, sealing our happy moments in stasis as in a picture, or the paintings he loves so much. George has at times represented the paternalistic misogyny facing women in society, the anonymous cruelty of placing your corporate underlings in brutal competition, or the simpering smile promising escape from destitution through wage slavery. Here at the end, those faces merge into one cold promise, a seemingly compassionate assurance that nothing will ever be better than it is now, so you might as well make the good times last. Through struggle and self-doubt, Hana has refused to give up hope for the future, and I don’t think she’s stopping now. Let’s fight for a brighter tomorrow!

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Winter 2025 – Week 11 in Review

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today my apartment is undergoing some impromptu spring cleaning owing to last week’s house fire, the second house fire we’ve suffered in roughly eighteen months. Fortunately the damage wasn’t nearly so severe this time, and our landlord is paying for the service, so hey: free apartment cleaning! You gotta take the victories where you can find them in this world of apparently perpetual house fires, and for me those victories tend to come in the form of unexpected new media treasures, films or series that totally catch me by surprise. Let’s pan for gold once more as we break down the Week in Review!

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Trigun Stampede – Episode 5

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to descend to the sand-swept wastes of No Man’s Land, as we check back in on Vash and his companions for another episode of Trigun Stampede. When last we left off, the team had just barely survived a horror-themed outing in the belly of a giant sand worm, where a mysterious, youthful assassin known as Zazie the Beast nearly got the whole group digested. Fortunately, they were aided in their escape by Nicholas D. Wolfwood, a so-called priest wielding a giant gun in the shape of a cross.

Both the worm and its master provided a natural opportunity to expound on Trigun’s moral philosophy, as Vash questioned Wolfwood’s conception of “monstrousness,” as well as his pragmatic view of survival. Vash is a martyr forever seeking his own destruction, seemingly finding it easier to sacrifice himself for others than to defend the worth of his own life. To Wolfwood, such a view is self-defeating and ridiculous; life is obviously its own reward, and clinging to it by whatever means necessary is the only directive worth following, particularly in a world as cutthroat as No Man’s Land.

The two work as well here as in the original Trigun because they are actually quite alike, and are simply coming at a perspective of world-weary humanism from opposing directions – Vash from a refusal to harm others, and Wolfwood from a willingness to do whatever it takes to ensure others survive. Their similarities and differences alike are summed up in their approach to the dead worm – Wolfwood demanding that Meryl eat the beast he has slain, the burden he has taken himself, versus Vash quietly attesting that he too deserves to eat and laugh like anyone.

Furthermore, our stinger revealed that Wolfwood is actually in cahoots with Zazie, a fellow assassin looking to manipulate Vash and his companions. Like the origins of Vash’s nature, the original Trigun only revealed this information at the end, basically after the point it could in any way inform our understanding of his character, so I’m intrigued to see how this new structure will impact the show’s portrayal of his journey. Let’s get to it!

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BanG Dream! Ave Mujica – Episode 2

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re returning to the tortured drama of Ave Mujica, as Sakiko continues to either exorcise or embrace her demons through the novel vector of gothic rock music. Our last episode served as something of a companion piece to MyGO’s first episode, demonstrating the calamitous personal events leading up to CRYCHIC’s dissolution from Sakiko’s perspective, and revealing that it was as much a lifeline for her as for Tomori. Just as Tomori found in CRYCHIC a genuine, non-judgmental (well, Soyo aside) community, Sakiko found a slice of normalcy, as well as a lingering connection to her absent mother.

In the wake of that breakup and Tomori’s subsequent reemergence, I suppose we can forgive Sakiko for getting a little melodramatic. Truthfully, it does seem like Ave Mujica is going to be tonally and narratively distinct from its predecessor; while MyGO reveled in subtlety and visual inference, Ave Mujica is all about oversized dramatic gestures and enormous feelings, seeming more like the Dear Brother to MyGO’s Hyouka. The tone matches the band: theatrical rather than confessional, anthemic to the point of emotional generality rather than specific to the point of intimate individuality. Given all that, I see two potential paths ahead: that this is simply the Kakimoto/Ayana team reveling in a different subgenre, and letting Sakiko’s flair for the dramatic color the entirety of her narrative, or that this is as much of a perspective-oriented trick as MyGO’s third episode, and that Sakiko’s unreliable narration will eventually be complimented or challenged. Regardless, it’s still very fun watching these nightmares in action, so let’s charge onward to the trials of Ave Mujica: Unmasked!

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Record of Lodoss War – Episode 1

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m happy to announce we’re embarking on the first step of a new adventure, as we check out the beloved Record of Lodoss War, a truly distinct artifact of the anime OVA boom. Though it was eventually adapted into a series of fantasy novels by Ryo Mizuno, Lodoss War initially arose as a series of actual play transcripts in the gaming magazine Comptiq, detailing the Dungeons & Dragons adventures shared by a handful of fantasy writers.

As such, Lodoss War is in many ways a product well ahead of its time, a precursor to the podcast-driven resurgence of DnD typified by shows like Dimension 20, adaptations like The Legend of Vox Machina, and even my own ongoing recounting of my first campaign as Dungeon Master. Dungeons & Dragons began as little more than a fantasy-flavored combat simulator, but it has become a flexible canvas for grand acts of myth-making and emotional drama, as different groups of players find their own balance between mechanical rigor and fantastical invention.

All of this makes Lodoss War an interesting cultural harbinger, if nothing else. That said, it’s doubtful this OVA series would be remembered for that alone – instead, it is Record of Lodoss War’s sumptuous art design and iconic characters, including the inescapable elf maiden Deedlit, that have made it such an enduring artifact. Yutaka Izubuchi’s original character designs are lifted into the stratosphere through this production’s strong array of storyboarders and animators, with director Akinori Nagaoka here assisted by such legends as Rintarou on episode boards and Toshiyuki Inoue on key animation, as well as Escaflowne character designer Nobuteru Yuki handling the adapted designs. It’s always a pleasure visiting this beautiful production, and I’m personally fascinated by DnD’s intersection of game design and collaborative storytelling, so let’s not waste a moment longer. The adventure begins!

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Winter 2025 – Week 10 in Review

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Hello folks, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. After a couple of weeks feeling under the weather, it appears both my health and the general temperature seem to be improving, leaving me prepped and ready to face a fresh new spring. It also seems to be a time for new beginnings as far as media projects are concerned; my house has recently completed Armored Trooper Votoms, Critical Role, Cobra Kai, and Ramayan, leaving my slate clean for some ambitious replacements. I’m currently still figuring out what classic anime I’d like to check out next, but in the meantime am also considering a journey through the Toei Godzilla films, having had such a good time recently with the productions of Ray Harryhausen. But for now, let us turn to the week’s screenings, and see what nutrients can be extracted from our latest film adventures. On to the Week in Review!

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Yuri is My Job! – Episode 7

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re diving back into the tangled performance of masks that is Yuri is My Job!, as our heroines struggle to discover something approaching intimacy among the performances and expectations of both genre and adolescence. We arrive back after a moment of great victory for Hime and Mitsuki, with the two having simultaneously repaired their friendship and affirmed their validity as Schwestern for the cheering crowd. Though Mitsuki has tremendous difficulty admitting to her feelings, the strictly defined language of Cafe Liebe ultimately served as something like training wheels for true expression, equipping her with the language and confidence necessary to admit she genuinely loves Hime.

Of course, she immediately walked that confession back with a convenient “that was all part of the performance,” but that too is part of why she was able to speak in the first place. To the awkward and uncertain, the itemized emotional beats of genre can be a lifeline, a common language that offers less ambiguity and vulnerability than fickle, unmediated conversation. And it’s not like regular conversation lacks strict conventions – after all, it was Mitsuki’s inability to match that lingo, to downplay her passions and laugh lightly with the crowd, that isolated her in the first place. And while Hime thrives in the superficial conventions that attend adolescent acquaintances, it’s clear that she too is seeking something more, something lasting, honest, and maybe even transformative. Let’s see if our heroines can find it as we return to Yuri is My Job!

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Spy x Family – Episode 37

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I figured we’d check back in on Spy x Family, and see what improbable shenanigans our Forgers have been enduring lately. When last we left off, Becky was still caught in the throes of a Berlint in Love-fueled hysteria, but was ultimately forced to concede Yor was a worthy opponent. That leaves the canvas open for any manner of drama, though given the season’s imminent conclusion, I imagine we’re in for some sort of dramatic coda; likely a low-stakes and somewhat reflective episode, tying a bow on the family’s recent growth.

It’s certainly been a productive season for the Forgers! Loid’s development has been apparent in how often his first thoughts are of Anya, rather than the maintenance of his cover, as well as how frequently he has renegotiated his work-life balance. Meanwhile, Yor has finally received some much-needed nuance and texture, with her cruise ship adventure serving as an affirmation of her new values and commitment to the family. Spy x Family will always be most fundamentally a comedy, but these steady flourishes of characterization and sequences of pure familial harmony do an excellent job of weighting its gags with emotional substance, insisting that supporting the people we love is the only way to truly find satisfaction in this world, and that an aspirational mask worn long enough can actually become our personal truth. Let’s see how our weirdos prove their love as we return to Spy x Family!

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Blue Reflection Ray – Episode 6

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to return to Blue Reflection Ray, after an episode that proved the series’ strongest yet. With our core team of Ruka, Hiori, Miyako, and Momo established, the team set to work hunting down “Princess Yuki,” who appeared to possess the power to remove the Fragments of others. However, this turned out to be a ruse – the true Yuki was being manipulated by the sadistic Uta, who only wished her to become so isolated that her own fragment would naturally emerge.

Alongside serving as a fine mystery caper in its own right, that episode offered a satisfyingly nuanced exploration of social media’s positive and negative potential. To those who are isolated within their own lives, the internet can become a lifeline, a path to community and mutual support. But at the same time, the inherent distancing effect and public nature of online discourse can make anyone a lightning rod for abuse, offering a sobering reminder that anonymous strangers make fickle confidants.

As an antidote to this crowdsourcing of intimacy, Miyako offered herself, making a genuine, vulnerable connection with the lonely Yukiko. I quite liked how this resulted in the episode ending without a fight altogether; rather than banishing Yukiko’s negative feelings via magic, Miyako actually challenged the emotional root of the problem. She’s already proven a key voice of reason within the group, and I’m looking forward to seeing how her journey continues from here. Let’s get to it!

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Winter 2025 – Week 9 in Review

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. This week has seen me diving into Persona 3 Reload, which has unfortunately provoked a swift and deleterious effect on basically every other aspect of my life. There’s just something about Persona’s mixture of pokemon fusions and schedule management that tickles all the right parts of my brain; somewhat ironic that a life planning sim tends to overwhelm my ability to plan my own life, but I suppose it’s always easier to hit a button that says “do your chores” than to actually friggin’ do them. Anyway, mentally I am in the halls of Tartarus right now, but my film review buffer is as well-stocked as ever, so our weekly reflections may continue without incident. Let’s burn down some feature films!

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